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On 19 April 2010 the Ministry of Environment and Water issued the assessment of the Sofia waste management project – development of an integrated system of facilities for municipal waste treatment of Sofia municipality. The project is sumbitted for approval to the European Commission.

According to Article 39 of Regulation No 1083/2006 all “major projects” (which total cost exceeds 25 million euro) are subject of approval by the Commission. Practice has shown that the procedure in Brussels takes three months to one year depending on the quality of the project documentation and the work-load of the responsible units in the Commission. The beneficiary will be given access to the OPE financial resources after the official approval of the project by the EC.

The project documentation was officially opened on 23 March 2010 in MOEW, which started the official assessment at national level. The examination of the documentation continued until 19 April and the purpose was to ensure that the application form and all supporting documents meet the invitation requirements and justify the necessity for granting.

The total estimated cost of the project is BGN 359 435 408, over BGN 256 million of which will be granted by the EU European Regional Development Fund (85% of the total amount) and from the state budget (15% of the total amount) under the operational programme ‘Environment 2007 – 2013.’ The remaining BGN 103 million will be provided by Sofia Municipality by means of a loan from the European Investment Bank, which has already issued a positive assessment of the project investment.

The development of an integrated waste management system in Sofia Municipality will contribute significantly to the major goal of the operational programme – to improve the quality of life of the population, maintaining healthy environment and preserving the rich natural heritage by providing adequate services for waste management.

The project implementation will ensure environmentally friendly treatment of household waste in the largest municipality in Bulgaria and a 60% reduction in the quantity of disposed waste. Jobs will be opened for over 100 people, while local and national companies will have the opportunity to participate in the construction of facilities and in the waste recovery.

Once the project has been approved by the EC it will be implemented by Sofia Municipality, which foresees that construction works to be completed by 2012.